The Best Crypto Exchanges for Australia
Last updated on 6 July, 2020
In this guide we have reviewed the best crypto exchanges in Australia. If you're looking at buying Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, you'll need to register on a cryptocurrency exchange where you can buy Bitcoin, store it or start trading it for other digital assets.
Every Bitcoin exchange offers different pros and cons, they are not all built the same. Some are more suitable for beginners (with a easy to use website and mobile app), some better for advanced users (with advanced features), and others are better for trading (due to lower trading fees and higher trading volumes).
Based on our reviews we have created a quick comparison table below. We have also answered all of your frequently asked crypto exchange questions at the end of this guide.
Australia Based Crypto Exchanges - by Comparison
| Exchange Name | Australia Locations | Available Fiats | Available Cryptos | Deposit Methods | Top Picks | Get Started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CoinJar
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Easy Crypto
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Independent Reserve
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Caleb & Brown
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Bitcoin Dealers
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Swyftx
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CoinSpot
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btcmarkets
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Sometimes the Australian crypto exchanges don't offer all the features as some of the larger worldwide crypto exchanges. For example, some of the worldwide exchanges have much higher trading volumes and support many more cryptocurrencies making them really powerful to trade on. In this case, you may choose to register with them so we have also reviewed some of the larger worldwide exchanges below.
Worldwide Crypto Exchanges - by Comparison
| Exchange Name | Primary Locations | Available Fiats | Available Cryptos | Deposit Methods | Top Picks | Get Started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Binance
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Coinbase
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LocalCoinSwap
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Disclaimer: We may receive a commission for purchases made through the links on our site. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. Find out more about our affiliate disclosure.
How to choose the best crypto exchange for you?
Choosing the best exchange for you can be complicated. To help you decide, consider the following questions and check your choice is suitable to all your needs.
- Are they ASIC regulated and follow strict security guidelines?
- Do they support the cryptocurrencies you are looking to buy?
- Does the exchange accept the deposit method you want to use?
- Do they allow withdrawals back to Australian your bank account?
- If your registering as a company, does it support that?
- What are the fees of deposit and trading?
- How easy to use is the website or mobile app?
We consider a lot of things when rating the exchanges, these include:
- Age - how old is the exchange, when were they established in Australia.
- Fees - what are the deposit fees, trading fees, other fees.
- Ease of use - does it have a beginner friendly website design, mobile app design.
- Deposit methods - what deposit methods does it allow.
- Regulation - is it registered with ASIC, other certifications.
- Reputation - what the people are saying, other reviews such as trust pilot.
- Security - do they have offline storage for cryptos, do they have two-factor authentication.
- Available fiat currencies - do they support AUD, other fiat currencies.
- Available cryptocurrencies - how many cryptos do they support.
- Registration - how easy and how long does it take to register.
- Notable services - what other services do they provide.
- Support - what is the customer support like, response times.
- Verified by Crypto News team - do we personally trust and use them.
Current Price of Bitcoin on the Exchanges
Back in the days when cryptocurencies and exchanges were new, there were opportunities to do arbitrage trading where you would buy bitcoin on one exchange then transfer to another to sell it and make a profit. Those days are mostly over. However, there still is slight difference in the Bitcoin price across the various exchahnges, which you might factor into your decision.
Our Crypto Exchange Reviews
Below are the reviews of the exchanges offer more detail than the table comparisons. Some exchanges have a full review done by us, for these you can click the button to read the full review which includes a more depth look and guides on how to setup an account with them.
Disclaimer: The display order is Australian exchanges first followed by Worldwide exchanges. Crypto News Partners appear first and you can use the comparison table above to sort the exchanges by features.
1. CoinJar Exchange
CoinJar is an Australia's longest-running cryptocurrency platform that offers exchange and hosted wallet services. The CoinJar website and iOS and Android mobile apps are easy to use and have excellent design. The BPAY deposit is really easy to do for beginners to buy Bitcoin. They also have a Debit Card called "CoinJar Swipe” that allows users to spend your cryptocurrency. I personally have been using them for a few years now for my personal and business accounts and have had no problems.
-
Website
Date Established
2013
Australia Locations
- Melbourne
Worldwide Locations
- Australia
- United Kingdom
-
Deposit Methods
- BPAY
- Bank Transfer
- Cash
- Cryptocurrency
- Blueshyft
- PayID/NPP
Fees
- Conversion fees: 1% (as low as 0.1% for high trading volumes)
- Deposit fees: none (except 1.5% for Blueshyft cash deposits)
- Withdrawal fees: none (except BTC blockchain dynamic fee)
- CoinJar points can be used to pay for fees
-
Available Fiats
- AUD
- GBP
Available Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Ethereum (ETH)
- Ripple (XRP)
- Litecoin (LTC)
- USD Coin (USDC)
- Zcash (ZEC)
- Basic Attention Token (BAT)
- 0x (ZRX)
- Dai (DAI)
-
Top Picks
- Beginner friendly
- iOS and Android apps
- Australia's longest-running
2. Easy Crypto Exchange
Easy Crypto was started in New Zealand, and now had expanded into Australia. The Easy Crypto mission is to make cryptos accessible and understandable for all Australians by creating an easy and safe way for others to get involved. They are an AUSTRAC registered Digital Currency Exchange that have quite a few cryptocurrencies you can buy and sell.
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Website
Date Established
2018
Australia Locations
- Brisbane
Worldwide Locations
- New Zealand
- South Africa
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Deposit Methods
- Bank Transfer
- POLI
-
Available Fiats
- AUD
- NZD
Available Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
- Bitcoin SV (BSV)
- Cardano (ADA)
- Binance Coin (BNB)
- Chainlink (LINK)
- Dash (DASH)
- Cosmos (ATOM)
- Basic Attention Token (BAT)
- DigiByte (DGB)
- Dai (DAI)
- Ethereum (ETH)
- Litecoin (LTC)
- EOS (EOS)
- Ethereum Classic (ETC)
- IOTA (MIOTA)
- NEM (XEM)
- Dogecoin (DOGE)
- ICON (ICX)
- Enjin Coin (ENJ)
- Lisk (LSK)
- Nano (NANO)
- Komodo (KMD)
- Tether (USDT)
- Ripple (XRP)
- Tezos (XTZ)
- Stellar (XLM)
- TRON (TRX)
- VeChain (VET)
- Neo (NEO)
- Ontology (ONT)
- OMG Network (OMG)
- Zilliqa (ZIL)
- TrueUSD (TUSD)
- Siacoin (SC)
- Waves (WAVES)
- Verge (XVG)
- Steem (STEEM)
See all -
Top Picks
- Personal support
- Buy/sell over 35 cryptos
3. Independent Reserve Exchange
Independent Reserve is one of the most popular options for purchasing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in Australia, and operates as a fully-functional exchange. Independent Reserve trading accounts are insured by a leading global insurer and has an integrated KPMG tax tool.
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Website
Date Established
2013
Australia Locations
- Sydney
Worldwide Locations
- New Zealand
-
Deposit Methods
- Bank transfer
- PayID
- POLi
- SWIFT
- Cryptocurrency
Fees
- Trading fees: 0.5% but may fall as low as 0.05% (depending on trading volume)
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Available Fiats
- AUD
- NZD
- USD
Available Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum
- Litecoin
- Ripple
- BCH
- XLM
- EOS
- REP
- GNT
- +4 more
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Top Picks
- Automatic bitcoin buying
- Supports NZD
4. Caleb & Brown Exchange
Caleb and Brown is an award-winning digital currency brokerage registered with AUSTRAC. Founded in 2016 with a vision to become the conduit between cryptocurrency and the financial services industry. Caleb & Brown gives clients a sensible means to legally and safely engage in the cryptocurrency market with an experienced brokerage team providing an unparalleled service for both new investors and seasoned traders. You can buy any Cryptocurrency not identified as a security or privacy token.
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Website
Date Established
2016
Australia Locations
- Melbourne
-
Deposit Methods
- Bank transfer
-
Available Fiats
- AUD
- USD
- GBP
- NZD
- CAD
- EUR
- HKD
- SGD
Available Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin
- +Access to others*
-
Top Picks
- Large purchases
- Personal broker
5. Bitcoin Dealers Exchange
Bitcoin Dealers are an Australian based company running since 2011. You can buy bitcoin in person at their offices where they help you buy and sell face to face. They have offices in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney open 5 days a week Monday to Friday and by appointment only on Saturdays. The minimum Cryptocurrency amount for both buying and selling is $500 and you will need to bring your ID such as drivers license.
-
Website
Date Established
2011
Australia Locations
- Melbourne
- Sydney
- Adelaide
-
Deposit Methods
- Cash in person
- Bank Transfer
- No credit cards accepted
Fees
- Transactions up to $1000 there is a $10 fee
- over $1000 there is no fee
-
Available Fiats
- AUD
Available Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum
- Ripple
- BCH
- DASH
- EOS
- XML
- ZCASH
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Top Picks
- Buy in person
- Loans service
6. Swyftx Exchange
Buy, Sell & Trade over 100 Crypto-Assets on Australia’s most progressive Cryptocurrency Exchange. Swyftx is an AUSTRAC registered Australian crypto currency exchange & trading platform with tiny spreads, low fees and non-inflated market prices. Trade with stop losses, take profits and triggered orders on a mobile & desktop ready modern web based crypto currency exchange.
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Website
Date Established
2017
Australia Locations
- Brisbane
-
Deposit Methods
- BPAY
- PayID
- Bank Transfer
- OSKO
- Cryptocurrency
-
Available Fiats
- AUD
- USD
Available Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum
- Litecoin
- +100 more
-
Top Picks
- Crypto trading
- Low trading fees
7. CoinSpot Exchange
Operating since 2013, CoinSpot has firmly established itself as Australia’s most trusted Cryptocurrency Exchange. CoinSpot has the largest selection of cryptos in Australia and is continually adding more projects. With plenty of useful features and an easy to use interface, CoinSpot is the top pick for many Australians.
-
Website
Date Established
2013
Australia Locations
- Melbourne
-
Deposit Methods
- POLi
- PayID
- BPAY
- Cash
- Direct Deposit
-
Available Fiats
- AUD
Available Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum
- XRP
- +150 more
-
Top Picks
- Large selection of cryptos
8. btcmarkets Exchange
BTC Markets is Australia’s leading digital asset exchange, trusted by 270,000+ verified clients who have traded over AU$9.8 billion. Founded in 2013 on values of reliability and integrity, the exchange is a pioneering figure in Australia’s blockchain sector.
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Website
Date Established
2013
Australia Locations
- Melbourne
-
Deposit Methods
- Bank transfer
- Osko
- BPAY
Fees
- 0.1% - 0.85% (depending on trading volume)
- Free AUD deposits and withdrawals
- Varying crypto withdrawal fees
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Available Fiats
- AUD
Available Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum
- Litecoin
- +20 more
-
Top Picks
- Good liquidity for trading
9. Binance Exchange
Binance is a cryptocurrency exchange that provides a platform for trading various cryptocurrencies. As of January 2018, Binance was the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world in terms of trading volume. Binance was found by Changpeng Zhao, a developer who had previously created high frequency trading software.
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Website
Date Established
2017
Worldwide Locations
- Registered Malta
- 180+ countries supported
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Deposit Methods
- Cryptocurrency
- +others through third-parties
-
Available Fiats
- USD
- +15 more through Simplex
Available Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum
- Litecoin
- +1200 more
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Top Picks
- Experienced traders
10. Coinbase Exchange
Coinbase is a big worldwide exchange that claims to have over 30 million users around the world. Based in the USA, Coinbase is available over 100 countries internationally (including Australia), with different countries having different features and Coinbase Australia supporting deposits, buy and convert. No withdrawals. Their Vault offers storage & security for large amounts of crypto.
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Website
Date Established
2012
Worldwide Locations
- Registered USA
- 100+ countries supported
-
Deposit Methods
- Credit/debit Card
Fees
- 3.99% for all credit/debit card purchases in Australia
-
Available Fiats
- USD
- EUR
- GBP
Available Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum
- Bitcoin Cash
- +19 more
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Top Picks
- Large amounts of crypto storage & security
11. LocalCoinSwap Exchange
LocalCoinSwap is a Hong Kong registered exchange founded by several Australians that has been running since 2018. As a P2P platform, you can purchase BTC and other cryptocurrencies from other users within Australia or overseas using a variety of payment methods. LocalCoinSwap handles Bitcoin in a custodial manner like other popular P2P platforms, but Ethereum and ETH-based tokens are handled in a non-custodial fashion using smart contracts. They have support staff both in Australia and overseas to respond to any issues or trade disputes 24/7. There are no trading limits and the platform does not require KYC. However, some Australian vendors will require KYC in order to trade with them.
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Website
Date Established
2018
Worldwide Locations
- Registered Hong Kong
- Vendors worldwide
-
Deposit Methods
- Cash
- Bank Transfer
- PayID
- POLi
- SWIFT
- Cryptocurrency
- Gift cards
- PayPal
- +more
Fees
- 1% paid by the vendor (who creates the trade offer)
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Available Fiats
- All major
Available Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum
- Dash
- USDT
- DAI
- USDC
- PAX
- NEXO
- LCS
-
Top Picks
- Buy with cash
- No forced KYC
Disclaimer: This information should not be interpreted as an endorsement of cryptocurrency or any specific provider, service or offering. It is not a recommendation to buy or trade. Some exchanges may be Crypto News Partners, and they are clearly identified, some of them may pay us as part of partnership but all exchanges listed in this article are reviewed fairly on the same criteria to provide you with an open honest view of who they are and what they offer.
The different types of crypto exchanges
Something else to consider, is that there are different types of cryptocurrency exchanges.
Traditional Exchanges (Centralised / CEX)
The majority of crypto exchanges are traditional centralised exchanges also known as "CEX's". These CEX's are owned and operated by a specific company of a central organisation that offers cryptocurrency trading with fiat currencies and bank transfer to and from your bank account. On these exchanges, the crypto transactions are usually not done directly on the blockchain, but done via the exchange's internal mechanics. Because CEX's manages the transactions they tend to be faster than DEX's.
Peer to Peer Exchanges (Decentralised / DEX)
Some crypto exchanges are now operating decentralised, they are also known as "DEX's". On these exchanges, both buyers and sellers operate independently of the exchange, where all DEX's crypto transactions are done directly on the blockchain. This removes the "company owned" middle man. Popular DEX's conduct services that use Ethereum to execute smart contracts on the blockchain. Because DEX's operate on the blockchain they tend to be slower than CEX's.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Exchange Name | Supports deposit from Australian bank accounts | Supports withdrawal to Australian bank accounts |
|---|---|---|
| CoinJar | YES | YES |
| Easy Crypto | ||
| Independent Reserve | ||
| Caleb & Brown | ||
| Bitcoin Dealers | ||
| Swyftx | YES | YES |
| CoinSpot | ||
| btcmarkets | ||
| Binance | ||
| Coinbase | ||
| LocalCoinSwap |
The Australian Government update their regulations frequently so be sure to stay updated via the AUSTRAC website. Also read our guide on The Legality of Bitcoin in Australia.
This is an common enquiry we get sometimes when people are looking to buy large quanties of BTC in Australia. Usually we refer them to a personal service provided by Caleb and Brown who can handle those larger requests.
You might be wondering, which australian exchanges have been hacked? We have yet to hear of any Australian exchanges being hacked, however there are many exchanges worldwide that have been hacked with a reported 980,000 BTC being stolen from exchanges since 2011.
CoinSpot is a multicoin wallet where you can store, receive, and send tokens or coins available on CoinSpot. To see what coins and tokens are available on CoinSpot, see our coinspot review.
A limit buy is not always executed immediately, but may remain open on the Order Book until it is either matched against one or more sell orders, or it is cancelled. You can send an email direct to their support team to [email protected] if you are experiencing difficulties.
You can definitely open up a Coinbase account from Australia. You cannot however, connect your Australian bank to withdraw your funds, so be aware of that.
In January 2020, Binance added support for Australian Dollars (AUD) through Banxa provider third-party. I've registered with Banxa and it was pretty easy, although they do not support transfer of funds from Corporate bank accounts which was disappointing. There are also rumours that Binance might open up an exchange here in Australia soon.
As we've mentioned above. The best site depends on who you are and what you are looking do. If you're a beginner you might want to choose Coinjar, but if your a trader you might want to choose Binance. See our comparison table above to help make your choice.
Read our guide about How to Buy Bitcoin in Australia with a Credit Card for full details.
If you're buying large amounts of crypto online, then you should read all information on security you can get your hands on. This includes storing your crypto offline in a hardware wallet. However, if your only buying small amounts of crypto - the risk vs reward might be easier to keep your cryptos on the exchange, especially if you're trading. We have written a guide on Where to Safely Store Your Bitcoins & Alt Coins Guide which explains the differences between hot and cold wallets.
Any cryptos you store with exchanges are controlled by them. You only control and fully own your crypto if you own the private key to the crypto wallet. Exchanges have lost Bitcoin before and people have lost their crypto because of this.
Conclusions
How to choose? there are many factors which you should consider when choosing your crypto exchange, different people have different needs and should consider those when choosing. Personally, I use CoinJar for BPAY deposits and withdrawals back to my Australian bank account because it's safe, fast and easy. And for trading I use Binance because it has the most cryptos and the highest liquidity so my trade orders get filled quicker. However, the final decision is yours, choose wisely, and good luck on your crypto adventure!
About the author
Sam Deering
Sam is the founder and CEO of Crypto News. He is also a blockchain and cryptocurrency enthusiast who loves to learn and write about anything crypto.